Former Reliable Sport building on Chicago Drive condemned

Cassandra Bondie @BizHolland

Friday

May 17, 2019 at 9:00 AM

HOLLAND — Just over a week after Reliable Sport vacated its location at 710 Chicago Drive in Holland, the building has been condemned.

“This dwelling unit has been condemned as unfit for human habitation and is dangerous to life or health by reason of sanitation, want of repair and defects in construction of same,” a notice on the door reads.

Because the building has already been vacated, the order — which was posted Wednesday, May 15 — requires it remain vacant for “non-compliance of outstanding property violations.”

A notice from Holland’s Community & Neighborhood Services was issued to building owner Nassimi Realty and Reliable Sport on April 3.

Reliable Sport owner Israel Quintanilla claims the state of the building forced Reliable Sport to vacate.

“They leased me a lemon,” he said.

But according to a representative from Nassimi Realty, Quintanilla was evicted for nonpayment of rent.

On Tuesday, May 7, thousands of dollars of Reliable Sport merchandise were placed in the parking lot outside the building.

An employee on-site said the store was “downsizing and relocating.” Over the next several days, the storefront was emptied and customers purchased heavily discounted inventory outside.

Four days later, the building was largely abandoned — and some customers were left wondering where they could obtain purchased items.

Ben Prince, for example, was shocked to find the building being emptied when he arrived to pick up four pool cues on May 8.

“My husband walked up to the owner Izzy and inquired/asked about where his pool cues were,” Prince’s wife, Micah, wrote in an email to The Sentinel. “He was then told by the owner that they were in one of his employee’s vehicles and asked him to come back at 1 p.m.”

When, hours later, Quintanilla had still not provided the cues, Ben and Micah filed a complaint with the Holland Police Department.

“After our conversation with the officer, my husband made his way back to the makeshift checkout counter and asked for a refund,” Micah wrote. “The salesman said they would do that for him and processed a PayPal transaction.”

But after an hour of waiting, the transaction didn’t go through.

“I fear for all the other customers out there right now that have no idea that this is happening right now,” Micah wrote. “And that they, too, will not be getting what they paid for.”

Quintanilla purchased Reliable Sport in late 2017 from Ken Vos, whose father, Ed Vos, opened the store in 1947. Until 2018, Reliable Sport was at 254 S. River Ave. in downtown Holland.

Since moving the store, Quintanilla and his business have been sued at least six times. The company’s Better Business Bureau accreditation was revoked in December for failure to respond to customer complaints.

Three separate complaints have also been filed with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

“The community of Holland has clearly not even given me a clear chance since day one,” Quintanilla told The Sentinel in February. “I am a minority business owner. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in this community. And I’ve paid every dollar back.”

Quintanilla refused to comment on when or where Reliable Sport might reopen, or where missing items can be picked up.